The man without freedom

Zaelia came back to the tribe with her loot, Alejandro, the architect of the village. This was an intense trip, and moving in the sands with a civilian not used to it was particularly hard for them. The man was weak, and he couldn't run anymore during the last thirty kilometers. Xzander had to take him on his back. They didn't plan to bring him, he was mediocre. The temple he built was not as beautiful as the one they heard about in the town, but when Xzander thought of it, he thought it was better this way. Attacking the town was probably not a good idea and could have led to many losses on their side. However, he had to admit that the man was a pain, and he was somehow furious that he had to care for him so much. 

As they almost arrived, Xzander reached his limit. He threw the man on the floor and yelled. 

"Enough! I am fed up with him!"

Zaelia turned herself to Xzander and stared at him in surprise. She was still upset after she saw the temple of Tridjan. The two friends were very tense and had little patience. 

"What is it now?!" She screamed at him.

Xzander was furious, he answered her, almost yelling at her.

"I have enough to hear his short breath in my ear when I carry him! You wanted him?! You take him!"

Zaelia laughed nervously, she was furious that he dared to speak to her this way. It was not a question of rank, she didn't expect respect because she was the leader of the tribe, no, it was more the fact that it was Xzander, her friend since forever, who spoke to her in this way. She gave orders to two other men to carry the weak architect, and she asked the group to continue without them for now. Since they almost arrived home, there was no need for the leaders anymore to lead them. They could almost see the tribe in front of them. Once they were alone, she came to Xzander and spoke to him with a cold and distant voice.

"Tell me the truth now, what is it?"

Xzander had a dark look at her.

"You attacked them alone. You didn't call for us, you decided and killed them alone. You did everything alone."

Zaelia stood there in her arrogance.

"And what? Are you jealous? Was I supposed to come back like a puppy to ask the mighty Xzander for his help?!"

Xzander watched her with hate in his eyes, he jumped on her and beat her face. They both fell into the sand, exchanging a few punches and insults. After some time, he was over her, staring into her golden eyes.

"I could have lost you." He whispered.

She dropped her jaw. She would never expect to hear such things from him. He was in her life always and never, not once he had been worried or shown any care for her safety. This was deeper than just a question of fighting alone, and she was not sure to understand the full meaning of his sentence. 

"If I die during a raid, it will be an honorable death, and you will probably become the next leader. What is wrong?"

He pressed her shoulders on the floor, he looked troubled and confused.

"Zaelia! Don't you see it?! You changed the plan, you attacked them alone, and even your eyes became golden. I am losing you a bit more every day!"

He let her go and sat on the floor beside her while she watched the sun.

"Every day, I see more of Archanium and less of you. When I awake, I never know when will be the day I will watch you and there will be nothing left of the Zaelia I knew in the past."

She took a deep breath. She needed some time to process what he meant. 

"We are the chosen ones, we are here to serve Archanium. It is an honor and a..."

She interrupted herself as she spoke, she realized she may have been too far by killing everyone with bare hands without even calling the rest of the group.

"You are right. I wish to make Archanium proud of us, not just me. We are the chosen people, and we are the ones spreading his power in the world. I should have implicated you."

Acting like this, she excluded everyone. There was no honor for the group in this raid. When, in the past they were the pioneer to discover a town and elaborate a strategy altogether to defeat their enemy, now, they only were following Zaelia, not even being there when the action happened. After she cleaned the path for them, they only had to take the resources they wanted, like vultures. 

She stood up and gave her hand to Xzander. 

"I am sorry"

He raised his head and smiled at her as he took her hand.

"Fine. Let's build this palace."

They walked together back to the tribe. Alejandro was exhausted by the trip. Zaelia grabbed him by the collar and entered her tent. She took a few furs and threw them on the floor next to her bed. Her voice was cold, and her words were like stabbing him.

"You sleep there, you have no freedom anymore. Now, you work for me."

Zaelia prepared a bowl of water and put it on the floor. The man was originally educated, but he realized his new condition and his face became paler and paler. He would have to build a palace for a tribe in the desert that massacred all of his village, his family, and his friends. Zaelia's golden eyes were terrifying to him, he never seen a human with such particularity. He was wondering how much she was still human. All he could see from her was the memory of her hands killing and ravaging everyone around him, leaving him alone, standing in the middle of the bodies. The night came, and he rolled himself on the furs she gave him. He cried there until the sun rose. Zaelia was not disturbed by his sobbing, it didn't bother her to sleep well.